The Music World Reacts to Davy Jones’ Passing

Yesterday, the music world suffered a great loss when Davy Jones of The Monkeespassed away. We went around the horn in the CBS Radio universe, and here’s what some of our DJs and program directors had to say about the man.

WOGL Philadelphia Music Director Tommy McCarthey says, “Davy Jones and the Monkees in the mid-1960s were one of the most popular groups on the American music scene. They rivaled The Beatles and The Rolling Stones… Knowing Davy Jones as I did, his fans will remember him for many years to come and he will live on in their hearts and their memories.”

WCBS New York’s Ron Parker said “I had wonderful opportunities to spend some quality time working concerts and promotions with Davy. My favorite song of his takes you back to 1969. It was called ‘It’s So Nice To Be With You,’ Davy sang lead. It was one of my favorite songs from high school. At the time I was dating a special girlfriend who was nice to be with.”

“Big Shoe” Stu Evans of country station KMLE in Baltimore said, “The Monkees mark my awareness of rock and roll. Everything I did as a very young man was centered around watching their TV show every Monday night at 6:30 on our huge 25” Zenith console TV in St. Louis. The first rock album I ever owned was More Of The Monkees. Now, I have almost everything else they ever recorded on vinyl and CD. Davy Jones was the guy who got all the girls, and I wanted to be him. The accent was charming, and he always seemed to be enjoying the whole experience. Every time I eat yogurt for breakfast, I think of Davy, because he often said that was his favorite – back in 1966 when most of us had never heard of it.”

Maynard Edwardsof alternative rock station WHFS in Baltimore, a musician and actor, bonded with his father over songs like The Monkees’ “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone.” He was one of the last people to interview Jones, and in their interview, they discussed their shared disappointment that The Monkees have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Edwards also contextualized the criticism that The Monkees lacked “legitimacy” because they didn’t always play their instruments on their records (neither did The Beach Boys). Hear the entire interview here.

A number of celebrities took to Twitter to express their respect for the man, with former MTV VJ Martha Quinn tweeting “Davy reached so many people. He was a total sweetheart who loved his fans!” Author Neil Gaiman said “I just learned Davy Jones was dead. For a moment I was 6 again, getting the kids at school to explain the Monkees to me. Actor/musician Kevin Bacon added “When I was a kid I wanted to BE Davy Jones. Big part of what led me to showbiz. R.I.P.” and Jack White of rock bands including The White Stripes and The Raconteurs tweeted (via his record label) “RIP Davy Jones… Monkees was my musical gateway drug.” Neil Diamond, who wrote The Monkees’ hit “I’m A Believer” tweeted “I’m sad to hear about Davy Jones. The Monkees were such a sensation that it was a thrill for me to have them record some of my early songs.” Billy Corgan of heavy rock band The Smashing Pumpkins “Sad to hear of the passing of Davy Jones! Met him just last year, was very kind to me. Monkees should have been in R ‘n R HOF years ago.” The TV singing competition The Voice tweeted “R.I.P. Davy Jones. We’ll miss your voice.”